Vryhof is finalizing development of its Stevtrack anchor data acquisition system. The system is designed to monitor and to visualize the behavior of anchors during installation and to transmit the anchor’s orientation and load data during embedment through final penetration.
The company describes this as a major step forward in mooring technology for customers who need to see the commonly calculated position verified by actually measured data.
Stevtrack real-time anchor data acquisition system.
Although anchor monitoring has been part of anchor development since the 1970s, Stevtrack is a spin-off from the testing and development of Vryhof’s newest anchor, the Stevpris Mk6, according to technical director Roderick Ruinen.
“We needed to verify the final geometrics and monitor the anchor’s behavior during embedment offshore, but there was no appropriate system available on the market. So we decided to develop our own system.
“When the anchor was recovered we could read out the data from this instrument. Although our focus then was to develop a new generation anchor, we immediately recognized the significance of that instrument if we could make the data available in real time.”
Vryhof is often asked about real-time anchor data acquisition for mooring in deep water, Ruinen adds. “It’s understandable if you have a $500 million asset on location, and consider that almost everything in the project can be measured and monitored – and yet for the mooring system that has to keep it in place, we have no real-time, on site data available from the anchor point.
The data acquired by the instrument used at the time of the Mk6 tests could only be downloaded after the anchor was recovered. According to Ruinen, “the most challenging part of our new system has been the real-time aspect. Data transmission is more complicated as water depth increases and even more difficult when the transmitter is deeply embedded in the seabed. Transmission from seabed to surface and from surface to vessel was less of a challenge, and a matter of choosing the right components available.
“We have developed our own proprietary, Windows-compatible software that provides a graphical user interface. It will visualize the penetration of the anchor and display real time data such as roll, pitch and load.
“The software will allow us to measure, display, print, store, or retrieve data. Upon installation, a graphical overview of the mooring system with data on each individual anchor point can be generated. Classification authorities should also be interested in including this data as part of their standard procedures.”
